I do not own Skyrim

I tossed and turned as non-existent screams battered my brain. I couldn't shut it out. Burning flesh filled my nostrils, even though the only fire present was the one burning in the middle of the hall. My heart pounded, my breaths quickened. Vicious battle cries and the fearful screeches of family echoed in my eardrums. I whimpered as I turned over and pulled the furs over my head. My hands shook violently. Tears began to well in my eyes. Rivers poured down from my eyes as my hands attempted to stop the flow of water. The crackle of fire brought forth a bright flash of orange that retreated into the darkness. I tried forcing my eyes open as more images of burning trees assaulted my mind. Another whimper escaped my lips as corpses became part of the inferno plaguing my sleep. At the top of the fires, all I saw was hopeless darkness. It was cold. Unforgiving. The light of the fires wasn't much better. Drawn weapons floated toward me, their metal glistening with fresh blood. My heart almost burst out of my chest as the images danced into motion.

My hands shook as I removed the cork from the vial. Fire crackled as the forest around our home burned. Tears rolled down my cheeks as father picked up his beloved twin daggers.
"Azura guide you, Artemis." He said and took a deep breath before sprinting out of the house.
"For the Lady of Twilight!" He exclaimed and engaged battle with the attacking hunters. Mother picked up her greatsword and stared at me, fear twinkling in her pupils.
"Drink it and run away. It's not safe here." She said.
"Where do I go?" I asked.
"Find the shrine of Hircine or Azura. Either one will do." She replied. Battle cries and screams of defeat filled the air. The fire spread to the house and the roof was burning. One of the beams fell and the roof caved in. Fire rose up and attacked the interior. I picked up a lone, uncorked wine bottle and clutched it close. Mother grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the house.

The exterior was ablaze with orange light. Mother held her ground and raised her greatsword high. Father ran to her side and they fought off the hunters. I uncorked the wine bottle and dropped the cork. I ripped the hem off of my dress and stuck it into the neck of the bottle. I ran to the house and let the material catch fire. I sprinted back and threw it. The hunters screeched and the scent of burning flesh filled my nose.
"Artemis! Don't just stand there! Drink it and get out of here!" Mother exclaimed. I nodded quickly and looked down at the vial of crimson liquid in my hand. I brought it to my lips and gulped the contents down. The thick, warm liquid traversed down my throat as I threw the glass over my parent's heads. I cringed as I heard it shatter on a hunter's skull.
"We love you dear..." Mother whispered.
"May Azura and Hircine watch over you." Father replied. They charged into battle.

I grunted as my stomach turned over itself. I screamed as my limbs lengthened and my spine stretched. Searing pain gripped my jaw as it became more prominent. My blood thickened and my head spun. Fur grew and claws replaced my nails. My teeth elongated and a fierce thirst took over. I looked up to the sky and roared. I let a low growl escape as the hunters neared my parents. Father looked back as a corpse fell to his feet.
"Run Artemis!" He exclaimed and turned around to deflect an axe aimed at his face.

I nodded and bolted out of the forest. The wind whipped around my ears and pressured me into running faster. I stopped to steal a glance back at the dark smoke rose from the treetops. I whimpered as I turned around and headed further into the forest.

After what seemed like hours of running, a sharp pain in my stomach arose as my blood thinned. I collapsed to the ground as my body began to morph back into human form. After my body stopped convulsing in pain, I looked up at the sky. The moon was full and the stars were out. The burning blaze was so far away, yet I could still see the inferno from here. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought back to my family. Mother and father were probably slaughtered without mercy, like animals. The night air was cold. Goose pimples rose on my flesh as the icy breeze sent shivers up my spine. I grasped the bark of the tree closest to me and used it as support. I hauled myself to my feet and let out a groan as my head spun. My knees didn't want to stand upright and I fell back onto the tree. I groaned as a sharp pain shot up my spine. I clenched my teeth and hissed wildly, my eyes squeezed shut.

My sight opened up again and I saw a shadow in the distance. My heart stopped and I just wanted the earth to swallow me whole. The shadow wandered toward me, sword at the ready. My eyes widened with fear as I tried to back away, but my legs were too weak. I fell backward and stared ahead. My hands shook and the hair on my neck stood on end. The darkness on the figure finally turned into colour. I tried to move away from the man as I noticed the iron sword pointing toward me.

He had ice blonde hair and frosty blue eyes. Half of his face was covered by olive green war paint. He had the appearance of a Nord. Darkened leather armour covered his body. A vicious snarl slithered across his face as he inched toward me. My chest quickly rose and fell as my breath quickened. My heart hammered and my skin trembled. I hoped that he wasn't a hunter. His snarl dropped from his face as his eyes wandered my body. A hungry glint entered his pupils as a smile curved upon his lips. He sheathed his blade and hummed with a nod. I tried to get up, but I fell down again. My legs were still hurting from my transformation. He knelt down beside me and stared into my eyes. I could tell he was watching my fear shine through the darkness. He reached out and ran his gloved hand down the side of my face. I whimpered and looked down at the ground. A dizzy spell struck me and I couldn't see properly. He used his fingers to lift my chin up. His thumb traced my upper lip and returned it to my chin. My head pounded as my eyesight got worse. His smirk only got bigger as he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other underneath my legs. My body grew limp as he picked me up. My body was too exhausted to fight due to my first transformation. My eyes closed as my consciousness slipped away.

Images of the Nord's hungry gaze played over and over in my mind. I turned over and whimpered softly. The cold clutches of this inescapable barrage of darkness sunk its claws into my heart and let the pain ripple through my body. My hands shook and little rivers trickled down my cheeks. Shadowy fingers clasped themselves around my throat and tried to squeeze it shut. My lungs took struggled breaths as sweat dripped from my brow. The dark hands slowly enclosed my neck and my body began to convulse. My eyes opened suddenly and I shot up with a gasp. Tears continued to stream down my cheeks as the tightness around my neck loosen. I took deep and quick breaths as my lungs inflated again. Once my breathing settled, I pushed the furs covering me aside and wandered out into the training yard.

I sat on the edge of the steps. I sighed and stared up at the sky. The beautiful sight of the heavens above was soothing. I felt a sense of security being under the stars. The two moons gleamed with cold light, but this chilling luminescence gave me comfort. A set of footsteps headed toward me as I heard the doors close. Aela sat down on the steps next to me. She had a white fur pelt wrapped around her shoulders and her red hair gently blew in the wind. I tried to suppress a smile as her blue eyes sparkled.
"What are you doing out here?" I asked. She sighed and looked up at the sky.
"I need to clear my head." She replied.
"Why?" I asked. She shook her head and smiled. I could see a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"I'm going hunting tonight. Can you cover for me?" She asked in reply. I let out a chuckle and nodded.
"Of course, I always do." I replied with a half-hearted smile. She left the pelt at my feet and stood up.
"Thanks. I'll be back at sunrise." Aela said and dashed to the Underforge. I picked up the pelt and dragged it back to her room. Once the pelt was safely back in her room and the door was closed, I headed back to bed, dreading the thought of another nightmare plaguing me. I slid into bed and pulled the furs over my body. I shut my eyes and let the stillness of the night try to coax my beast blood into letting me sleep. All I saw was empty darkness. I smiled as I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

I felt something prod my shoulder. I groaned and buried my face in the furs covering my body. I heard a sigh coming from beside my bed as my shoulder was pushed harder. I tried to swat the being responsible for trying to wake me. The furs covering me were ripped off of the bed and I groaned angrily before rubbing my eyes and sitting up. My sight returned to me and I found Vilkas scowling at me.
"Get up. You slept in again." Vilkas said icily and threw the furs at me before marching out. I groaned and slid out of bed. I strapped on my weapons and left the sleeping quarters.

I headed into the main hall of Jorrvaskr and sat down next to the open fire. The faint scent of mead and sweet rolls wafted into my nose and made me sigh with contentment. The Companions went about their usual business. Vilkas and Farkas sat at the u-shaped dining table, arguing about things that Nord men usually bicker about. Athis and Njada eyed each other evilly. Ria, Aela and Torvar must have sensed the uneasiness and left the hall for the quiet training yard. I headed outside also, not keen to be in the middle of a sibling war or an argument gone wrong. And personally, I didn't want to be in the room when both occurred.

Torvar sat on his usual chair and sipped tentatively on his tankard of mead. Ria munched on a piece of bread next to Torvar. Aela had her bow out and she was practising her archery skills. I pulled out my own bow and stood before the target next to hers. She turned her head slightly to the side and smirked before facing her target again. She let the arrow on the bowstring go and it whizzed through the air. I watched as it struck the second ring and she turned to give me a smug smile. I sighed and shook my head. Aela was always making a competition out of training.
"Try and beat that, Moonshadow." she said with a smirk. I shrugged my shoulders and pulled an arrow out of my quiver. I notched it into place and pulled the string back. I lined up my shot and took a deep breath. I released the arrow and sent it piercing through the air. It lodged itself into the top of the bullseye. I let a cocky smirk stretch over my face as Aela pursed her lips at me.
"I think I just did, Huntress." I replied and placed my hand on my hip. I gave her a cheeky wink and she scoffed at me whilst she rolled her eyes. She pulled the arrow out of the target and notched it onto her bow. She pushed me out of the way and sent the arrow spinning through the air. It buried itself into the centre of the bullseye. She smirked and placed her bow in her quiver. I rolled my eyes and grinned. My fingers slid a arrow quickly onto the drawstring and pulled it back. The arrow whizzed through the air and struck her arrow in the centre of the shaft, splitting it in half. Aela's jaw dropped as she saw tiny splinters flying in separate directions. I smirked as I put my bow back in the quiver. The huntress closed her mouth and placed her hand on her hip. We heard Ria laughing incredibly loud and it broke the competitive atmosphere between us.

Our heads turned to see Torvar waving his tankard about and singing very badly. Ria rolled her eyes at him as Aela and I wandered over into the shade. Aela and I sat down at the bench at watched him twirl around, slurring the lyrics to a ballad, mead swishing around in his tankard. He placed one foot in front of the other as he took anther swig. I laughed at him and clapped at a steady pace with glee. Ria cheered and chuckled. Aela shook her head with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Torvar slumped in his chair next to Ria's and huffed. His mead spilled out and splashed on the floor. He ruptured into laughter and the other three of us followed with a round of chuckles. The moment of merriness died down, as did our voices. Torvar looked into his tankard and guzzled what little remained of his drink. Ria picked up a piece of bread and began to munch on it. Aela got up and headed inside. She stopped at the door and looked back at me.
"Artemis, you coming?" She asked. I nodded and followed her into Jorrvaskr. Athis was chatting with Vilkas by the fire as Njada headed outside to the training yard. Farkas sat quietly and stared at the roof. He huffed in boredom and let his eyes roam around the room. Aela grabbed my wrist and my skin quivered underneath her touch. She pulled me into the sleeping quarters.

She dragged me into her room and closed the door behind her. Her fingers left my skin and she placed her hands on her hips.
"What's with the secrecy?" I asked her. She flicked a stray hair away from her face and crossed her arms over her chest.
"How could you split my arrow in half?" She asked in reply. I sighed and stared at the ground. She always took friendly competitions a tad too seriously.
"I just happened to fire my arrow into the same spot as yours and the wood split. That's all." I answered. She shook her head at me and frowned.
"How are your arrows better than mine?" She questioned.
"Yours are steel arrows. Mine are glass. My arrows have much stronger shafts than yours. That's why yours split." I replied.
"So, if you used the same arrows as me, it wouldn't have split, right?" Aela asked.
"Maybe, I'm not too sure. I haven't tested that." I replied. A moment of silence passed between us.

Aela's eyes wandered the room as I brushed my hair behind my ears. A few seconds past before I decided to break the silence.
"Aela?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know if both moons will be full tonight?" I asked. Her eyes twinkled as a smile stretched across her face.
"Yes, they should be. Why do you ask?" Aela asked. I couldn't tell her about my little secret, so I decided to lie.
"I was thinking about going to the cornerclub tonight." I replied. Aela's eyebrow rose as she scoffed.
"Cornerclub? I've only ever heard Athis say that." Aela said.
"So?" I asked.
"Athis told me that only dark elves call taverns 'cornerclubs'. And you're not a dark elf." Aela replied.
"I am too. Well, only a small part dark elf. My father was half Dunmer. And he always called a tavern a cornerclub." I said. Aela didn't seem too convinced, but the part about my heritage was true.
"I don't believe you." Aela stated. I sighed and shook my head. Once I opened my eyes, Aela stared at them and inspected the irises closely.
"Red eyes? I never noticed you had red eyes before." Aela said.
"I told you, I'm part Dunmer. I have my father's eyes." I replied. She nodded and hummed a short tune of acceptance.
"And why do you go at full moons?" Aela asked.
"Father always said that a brandy at midnight on a night with two full moons is good luck." I replied. That was a lie. I turned on my heels and went to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Aela asked.
"There's a bounty on a dragon that's nearby. I'll be back in the morning." I replied.
"Fine. Go on. Enjoy slaying your dragon." Aela said with a smirk. I chuckled and left Jorrvaskr.